What Turkey says

Turkey is alarmed that regional rival Iran could extend its power through proxy groups to an area to the Turkish and Syrian borders where Ankara is backing rebels opposed to the Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad.

Refering to its close ties to Tal Afar’s Turkmen population, Turkey has threatened to intervene to prevent revenge killings should Popular Mobilisation forces storm the town.

What they are saying

“We ask Kurdish authorities to open a safe passage for them,” – Nuraldin Qablan, a Tal Afar representative in the Nineveh provincial council.